Hi girlfriday68,
According to The Wordwizard Clubhouse
http://www.wordwizard.com/clubhouse/founddiscuss1.asp?Num=5310
day late and a dollar short
A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR (or DIME) SHORT on I.D., A miss timewise and a
miss moneywise used as an analogy to describe how one missed successe
wise; inadequate; overdue and lacking; too little too late. ?The Facts
on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins? claims that the term
is an old saying that dates back at least a century. ?Chapman?s
Dictionary of American Slang? uses the etymological weasel word BY and
claims that the expression was in use ?by 1990s? so they ARE in
agreement. (<:) <Yankee traders will be a day late and a dollar short:
Visa cards are already welcome in Saigon New Republic> <Clinton?s
attempt to explain Whitewater is several days late and a dollar short
Howard Fineman>
=================================================
The Phrase Finder
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/1626.html
phrases for bungling
Keyword search:
origin day late dollar short
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Best regards,
tlspiegel

Thanks, tlspiegel. This answer focuses on how people use the phrase,
but I was hoping for more information on its origins: Who was the
first person or publication to use it? And did it originally refer to
anything in particular? If that's too much to ask for for $5, I'd
appreciate some feedback. Thanks very much.

Hi girlfriday68,
I saw your request for clarification, and will reply with more
information ASAP. I'm currently working on a small project and will
be done shortly. Thanks for your patience!
Best regards,
tlspiegel

Thanks. I was hoping for something more specific, but I appreciate
your timely response and your suggestion of further resources. I'll
definitely hit the books.

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